The Fight of Her Life
by waveform
Summary: Three months after the events of "On the Fast Track," Kim is pulled into a fight for her very survival. Stick a fork in this one, because it is DONE!
1. Chapter 1

_Disney owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive._

_--_

The arena was filled to capacity; all those in attendance filling the air with cheers, chants, applause, and the stomping of feet. He steps out from the darkened hallway into the bright spotlight of the chain link fence lined ring. With a theatrical flair he throws his black robe to the floor, revealing his sleek, muscular physique. To the underground battle circuit, he was known as Bengal, his legal name unknown and unnecessary. All that mattered was his record in the ring; he was, thus far, undefeated. A pale man with a shaved head and tiger stripe tattoos on his arms, legs, chest and back, Bengal projected an air of graceful strength about him.

There were those fighters who thought he was pompous; not wanting to get too involved with the crowd or his fellow combatants. In truth, he was bored. All of these other so called "fighters" were either chemically or technologically augmented. Bengal thought they were nothing more than ruffians who were more interested in winning through brute strength rather than skill. That is what he attributed his victories to, his skill. He knew several forms of martial arts, and only became a fighter in order to test his skill and learn from his opponents. So far, he had done neither.

His next opponent seemed like more of the same. Bengal saw a Hench Co muscle enhancing ring on the man's finger. It would be a simple matter to relieve the other man of his augmentation and break him utterly. But he decided that would be more trouble than it was worth.

Bengal flexed his neck, cracking his cervical vertebrae. It was show time. He would, as he did during every fight, imagine battling a worthy foe. He knew exactly who he wanted to fight; it was just a matter of "convincing" her to do it. Shego would have been the ideal opponent with her plasma powers and fighting prowess, but she had recently given birth and Bengal would not sully his honor by depriving a newborn of his mother. Still, the fight would have been glorious!

Kim Possible, on the other hand, was fair game. Rumor had it that she was engaged to marry her sidekick, a man whose name escaped him. Bengal took no stock in these rumors. If the sidekick was too unimportant to have his name remembered, then he was unworthy of Bengal's time. If he could somehow get Kim Possible into the ring and soundly defeat her, his skill as a fighter would never be questioned. He would be the greatest fighter who had ever lived; that's all that mattered.

Bengal assumed a fighting stance when the bell sounded. His musclebound opponent charged at him like an angry bull. Bengal allowed himself a small grin. _Amateur mistake,_ he thought. A well placed punch to the face caused the man's head to snap back, sending him into an unconscious heap on the floor of the ring.

"One punch, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer declared over the loud speakers. "Bengal is still undefeated!"

"No challenge at all," Bengal grumbled. The wheels in his head were turning ever faster. Perhaps it would be easier to get Kim Possible in the ring than he thought.

--

Kim Possible gazed intently into the deep blue eyes of the dark haired boy in her arms. She smiled at him, then held him closer, allowing him to melt into her while she made cooing noises at him. He seemed a bit restless in the gorgeous redhead's embrace, but made no attempt to extract himself. Kim pulled him away from her and again looked at his perfect face. Then, as if on cue, he spit up. "I'm glad you were wearing a bib, Joey."

Kim sat down with her three week old godson in her lap and proceeded to clean him off. "This is what happens when you eat too fast and won't burp." Joey Lipsky, of course, had no idea what his godmother was saying, but somehow knew he was safe with her. She was at least warm. Joey yawned and snuggled into Kim. "Yeah, it's nap time, isn't it, honey? Come on," she stood, cradling the newborn in her arms. "Let's put you down."

"I don't care who they think they are!" a very irate Sheila Gordon-Lipsky practically screamed into the phone. "They get no special treatment! We went over the specs with them when we installed the system, and told them how to turn the damn thing on and off. Just because one of their employees was too stupid to read the freaking instruction manual is not _MY FAULT!! "_

Kim shot her former nemesis a look when she walked by the door with a now sleeping Joey in her arms. Sheila immediately took the hint. "All right, Perkins, thanks to my son you've got a reprieve," she said a bit more calmly. "Now you call these idiots back and tell them exactly what I told you. The contract states in big, bold, black and white letters, that we are not responsible for user error. Now don't call me back unless it's really important. I'm still on maternity leave for God's sake!"

Sheila had just set the phone down when Kim walked in. "Murray Logistics?"

"Oh yeah." Sheila was still in her green pajamas, even though it was late in the afternoon. "Some moron decided to walk into the building without disabling the security system and got blasted by fast drying immobilizing foam. He was stuck like that for two hours, and now they're threatening to sue." Sheila looked at her hands and let them flare with green plasma. She hadn't used her powers at all during the last two trimesters of her pregnancy for fear that it could have hurt Joey in some way. Now she was itching to use them to take out everyone who was ticking her off.

"Now I'm glad Drew was so inept with the whole 'taking over the world' thing," Sheila said, almost to herself. She looked up and saw Kim's confused expression. "If running a business is this hard, I'd hate to think what running the world would be like. Although, I get the feeling that I could pull it off..." Sheila trailed off, a long forgotten dream of herself as some sort of Supreme One trying to worm its way into her brain. It was gone as quickly as it came on. "Anyway, that's the deal. Bunch of stupid people not wanting to admit that they're stupid."

"Where is Drew, anyway?" Kim asked. Even though she had been at the Lipsky home almost everyday since they brought Joey home from the hospital, Kim hadn't seen blue hide nor black hair of the former Dr. Drakken in days.

"At the office." Drew was the lead designer of all systems for Gordon Security Consultants. Even though he was a former villain, multi-billion dollar companies were willing to trust him to amp up their security systems. So far, the only problems had been user error. "Although, even when he is home I don't always see him. He'll take Joey into the lab with him and lock himself in. He says he's working on some kind of secret project. I'm surprised he hasn't blown anything up yet."

"Maybe he's just trying to see if Joey inherited your powers."

"Maybe." Sheila did think it was weird that her son had a normal complexion and not a mixture of his parents' skin tones. She looked at the stack of work orders on her desk. Some new villain had made the scene; a villain who there was very little information about.

He was known as D. Carter Knokod, and he was some sort of ruthless multi-billionaire; he was like Senor Senior Senior, but he was actually dangerous instead of just bored. A lot of places were getting nervous about this guy, which was good news for Gordon Security. A lot of new business had come their way in the last few weeks because of this Knokod guy. Sheila looked up and saw Kim glancing over at the clock on the wall. It was 4:40 in the afternoon. "When's the Buffoon getting home?"

"Soon," Kim replied. The Mega Smarty Mart was just a week away from its grand opening, and things were happening fast. All the fixtures, terrariums, and habitats for the animals in the pet department had all been installed and, as department head, Ron had to supervise it all. This was in addition to interviewing potential new hires and putting together a preliminary schedule they could use until the scheduling software in the human resources department was up and running. Ron came home looking like a reject from _Zombie Mayhem_ every night.

Fortunately they hadn't had any missions in a while. Fortunately for Ron, that is. Kim was still several months away from starting school, and hadn't gotten a regular job yet, mainly because Sheila needed her to help out with Joey, so she didn't have a whole lot in the way of diversions. At least she got a little spending money for babysitting her godson.

"You'd better get going, then," Sheila said. "Traffic getting back to Upperton is gonna be a nightmare."

"Rocket boosters, remember?" Kim smirked. "I can just fly home."

"Thanks again for helping out with Joey, Princess. With his dad at work and the people I hired to fill in for me while I'm gone proving to be dumber than Frugal Lucre..."

"No big, Sheila," Kim said with her usual flare. "Just remember all this at the end of the week when you pay me."

"II still can't believe that I hired my old arch enemy to watch my kid." Life certainly was strange.

--

Bengal sat in the small motel room he had taken up residence in. On his laptop computer was years worth of footage showing the many battles Kim Possible had taken part in. She was proficient in sixteen forms of Kung Fu, and seemed able to instinctively mesh those fighting styles together. She would be difficult to defeat. Perfect. Now all he had to do was get her where he wanted her. _That's the easy part,_ he thought. All he had to do was use her greatest weakness against her; her compassion for those in need.

Bengal went to Kim's website and submitted a request for help. She would come to him.

--

Kim had just reached the freeway when the Sloth's Kimmunicator went off. "Go, Wade," she said when the face of Wade Load appeared on the screen.

"We just got a hit on the site, Kim," he said. "There's some kind of trouble at the old scrap yard outside Lowerton."

"What kind of trouble?"

"It looks like Motor Ed is there looking for parts that he can make into some kind of mechanized car-zilla!"

"That is so 1980's," Kim groused. She aimed her car for the nearest exit so she could find a place to change into the mission clothes she kept in the car, and then get back on the freeway in the southbound direction.

"Should I call in Ron?" Wade asked.

"He's got enough on his mind right now," Kim said after some thought. "Besides it's just Motor Ed. How hard could mullet brain be? I'll be home before Ron is."

--

"Are you sure this is on the level, Wade?" Kim asked. She had arrived at the landfill ten minutes ago, and didn't see so much as an out of place bumper at the scrap yard, let alone Motor Ed.

"It could have been a crank," Wade conceded. "Let me hack into a few surveillance satellites and get a better look at the area."

"Please and thank you, Wade. And keep the dash cam on the Sloth rolling, just in case." Kim turned off the Kimmunicator and continued her search. No big trucks, no gear heads, and no mullets. This had to be someone's idea of a sick joke. _Note to self, have Wade set up a filter so we can double check calls for help. This doesn't feel right._

"Hello, Miss Possible."

Kim spun and assumed a defensive stance. She saw a man who had been tattooed to look like a tiger. "You'd better have a good reason for luring me here like this."

"Right to the point," the striped man said. "Admirable. You waste no time, so I will not waste yours. My name is Bengal, and I am going to defeat you." He tossed a handful of pellets at Kim's feet, which erupted into a cloud of green gas.

Kim was in action as soon as she saw the man's hands move. She lunged to her right and pulled a small device out of the pocket on her leg. With the small rebreather in place, she was again on her feet and ready for action. She charged at the striped man, launching a few preliminary punches at him to see what he could do. He easily blocked or dodged them all.

"I know you are better than this, Miss Possible," Bengal taunted. "Don't make me sorry I went to the trouble of bringing you here."

Kim said nothing. Instead she unleashed a roundhouse kick to his head, which he easily blocked. Expecting this, Kim dropped down and kicked his legs out from underneath him, sending him crashing to the ground. Kim didn't give the tattooed man a chance to get up; instead she aimed a punch at his solar plexus, hoping to knock the wind out of him and end this fight. He blocked the first shot, but not the second. Kim's punch sent the air blasting out of his lungs in an explosive grunt.

"It's over," Kim said.

"Not...yet." Bengal rasped. After making sure the contingency measures in his gloves were in place he lunged at Kim's ankles. A jolt of electricity shot through her body when he grabbed hold of her legs, knocking her out almost instantly. Bengal struggled to his feet. _Tai Sheng Pek Kwar,_ he thought. _Some of those moves were Monkey Kung Fu. Where did she learn them?_ Kim was more dangerous than Bengal thought. For the first time, the possibility of defeat went through his mind. He might have to hedge his bets.

Bengal picked Kim up, slung her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, and headed for his vehicle. He would have a lot of planning to do on the way back to the arena.

--

Ron Stoppable was dead tired when he got behind the wheel of his station wagon. He looked forward to when the store opened, knowing that his hours would become more stable; but at the same time he dreaded it because he knew that's when the real work would start. Things would get even more hectic when he started cooking school in August. At least had got to go home the the most bondigetty fiancee in the history of fiancees. Moving in with Kim was the best thing he'd ever done. Well, right behind asking her to marry him, that is. The only drawback was Dr. James Timothy Possible coming to their house every weekend with some flimsy excuse to make sure they weren't doing anything they weren't supposed to be doing.

_Man, what's he gonna do when we decide to have kids?_ Ron thought. _Whoah! Back up there Ron-man. You're not even married yet! It's a little early to be thinking about having mini-me versions of you and Kim running around. Still it is a pretty badical idea._

Ron had just pulled out of the Mega Smarty Mart's parking lot when the Ronlink above the radio went off. "What up, Wade?"

"We have trouble, Ron." The worried expression on Wade's face made Ron's blood run cold. "Kim went to Lowerton to check out a Motor Ed sighting, but it was a trap! There was some some martial artist guy with tiger stripe tats waiting for her. He zapped her and took her!"

Ron's serious face kicked in. "Can you track the Kimmunicator?"

"He left it at the scrap yard, along with the Sloth. And I can't get a fix on her tracking chip."

Ron blinked. "KP has a tracking chip? Why does KP have a tracking chip?"

"Well, she figured that since yours worked so well we should...uh oh."

Ron went into freak out mode. "Since when do _I_ have a tracking chip?!"

"Ron, calm down. Now's not the time."

"And why not? I just found out that you put a tracking chip in me! That's so not cool, Wade!"

"Head in the game, Ron. Right now Kim needs you." Wade was banking on the fact that Kim being in trouble would trump Ron's own sense of outrage.

"We're not done with this, Wade," Ron said in an annoyed tone. "So, Lowerton?"

"Yeah," Wade replied with a visible sigh of relief. "In the old scrap yard just outside of town. Some guy with severe martial arts skills got the jump on her. I lost track of him when he got on the freeway. You'd think a motorcycle and sidecar that were painted to look like a tiger would be easier to track. But I do have a rough idea where he went."

"Feed me the directions, Wade-man."

--

Kim awoke to the unpleasant smell of stale sweat and dried blood, as well as the sensation of a lumpy mattress beneath her. When she tried to move, the world spun a little. _What's the sitch? _she wondered. _Where am I?_ Kim opened her eyes, only to have her vision obscured by a set of black garments that were thrown in her face.

"Put these on," a gruff female voice with an English accent ordered.

Kim pulled the clothes from her face and saw a blonde woman who was built like one of the women on _American Combatants,_ but on a much less outlandish outfit. She wore a simple, form fitting grey tank top with matching workout pants. "Why should I?"

The woman cracked her knuckles. "Because I will hurt you if you don't. You may think you can do anything, Possible, but I can break you over my knee like a stick. Change. Now."

Kim examined the room she was in. "How about a little privacy?"

"Forget it. Change now or I'll do it for you. And you don't want me to do it for you."

A few minutes later the, the blonde walked out of the room carrying Kim;s mission clothes. Kim was right behind her wearing a pair of form fitting black pants that ended just below the knee, and what looked like a black sports bra. The blonde woman handed Kim's mission clothes to another woman and said "Burn these."

"Hey!" Kim protested.

"Like you don't have more than one set ," the blonde snorted. "Besides, I know your type. You world saving do-gooders always have gadgets hidden in your clothes."

Kim's face remained as neutral as she could manage. She was very glad that she had decided to leave her engagement ring in a hidden compartment in the Sloth before she reached the scrap yard. She never wore her ring on missions, afraid that is could be damaged, lost or stolen. She got the feeling that this bunch would definitely be the stealing type. Who knew how much Kim Possible's engagement ring could net at some villainous auction. Kim looked up when her abductor arrived in the dimly lit hallway. "What's the sitch here?"

"The 'sitch' as you put it, is you are going to fight," Bengal replied.

"So not happening."

"You misunderstand me, Miss Possible. That was not a request. You will fight. If you refuse, well, I know where your family lives. You have brothers, do you not?"

Kim went into a rage and lunged at Bengal, only to be caught in mid leap by the blonde woman. "That's what I want to see!" Bengal exclaimed. "Valkyrie," he said to the blonde woman. "I trust all preparations have been made."

"They have," Valkyrie nodded. "Bit I still think this is a load of horsesh-"

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Bengal looked over at Kim. "You should be proud, Miss Possible. You are about to take part in the most intense fighting tournament since the gladiatorial games of Ancient Rome."

"Forgive me if I seem less than enthused." Kim wanted to rip this guy's eyes out of their sockets.

"Welcome, Kim Possible, to the Arena of Lost Souls. Welcome to the fight of your life. Or should I say, the fight _FOR _ your life."


	2. Chapter 2

_Disney owns the characters, I'm just taking them for a test drive._

--

Ron Stoppable was prone to worrying about little things and ignoring the big picture, but not this time. His fiancee Kim Possible was missing, and come hell or high water he was going to find her and bring her home. He had gone to the Lowerton Scrap Yard, the last place Kim was seen, to try to figure out what happened. The Mystical Monkey Power gave Ron an almost instinctive insight to how other fighters thought and responded, and he had hoped that he could use it to figure things out after the fact, but it wasn't working. Ron went back over to the Sloth and sat on the hood. "I don't know what to do," he said to himself.

A small voice squeaked excitedly. "Over here! Found something!"

Rufus was standing beside several broken marble sized spheres. He sniffed one and winced. "Sleepy smoke."

"Knockout gas, huh?" Ron knelt beside Rufus and got Wade on his wrist Ronlink. "Hey, Wade, Rufus found something. Watcha make of this?"

Wade scanned the spheres through the Ronlink. "Knockout gas, alright. This is old stuff, though. I think Hench Co discontinued this about five years ago. Hang on a minute." Wade's fingers danced over his keyboard. "I'm picking up residual traces of some sort of electrostatic charge."

"Didn't you say this dude zapped KP?"

"Yeah, and this is how he did it."

"Can we use it to track him?"

"Afraid not, Ron." Wade saw Ron's face fall a bit. "But I did get some info on our tiger guy." An image of the pale man appeared on the Ronlink. "His name's Anderson Collins, but he's better known as Bengal; probably why he had the stripes done. He's a martial artist and fighting aficionado. A number of years ago he was kicked out of the Supreme Combat Alliance for being too rough. Rumor has it he went underground."

"Doesn't help us much, does it?"

"Maybe it does. Let me see if his credit cards are still active." Wade went back to work on his computers. "If they are, we can see where he's been. And if we find where he's been..."

"Then we can sniff him out!" Ron's funk had dissipated. "Way to go Wade-man!"

"I know," the young genius said. "I rock in stereo."

--

Kim Possible was breathing heavily and clutching at her right side. That last fight had been rough. _How many is that now? Five? Six? I don't know. _Kim had been fighting almost nonstop since she went into the fence lined hexagon that they called a ring. All of her opponents had been much bigger than she was, and all had some sort of enhancements. That last one, a seven foot tall behemoth with muscles like Hego, had one of those muscle enhancing rings and the telltale track marks of steroid injections. Kim had won, but only after getting hit in the side with his club-like arm. It didn't feel like her ribs were broken, but they were very badly bruised. Just breathing hurt.

The crowd in the stands was going nuts. Bets larger than any in the Arena of Lost Soul's history were being made either for or against Kim. Several small fortunes had been made or lost, all in the span of a few hours. Bengal and Valkyrie were by the announcer's booth, watching the carnage unfold. Kim's next opponents were a pair of fraternal twins; two women who utilized a pair of throwing axes and daggers. "She's unarmed," the English woman said. "Slice and Dice will live up to their names with her."

"No they won't," Bengal said with certainty. "Possible will find a way to defeat them, and move on to the next fighter."

"How long is this going to go on?"

"Until she faces me and I win." Bengal could almost smell his impending victory. "She is the only worthy opponent out there for me to fight."

"So you're wearing her out with these other fighters?" Valkyrie was losing more respect for Bengal by the second. "Is that the only way you think you can beat her? You're a coward."

Bengal let loose a blow to Valkyrie's face, which she easily blocked. "I am no coward," he spat. "Somehow Kim Possible has learned Tai Sheng Pek Kwar! I once saw a countryman of yours who had mastered that art, and he was nearly unbeatable! I must see what she can do."

_While guaranteeing your own victory,_ Valkyrie thought with disgust. "In case you haven't been following the news for the last few years, Monkey Fist lost to Ron Stoppable more than once."

"Who?"

"Possible's sidekick," Valkyrie with an angry snort. "Don't you know anything?"

"The sidekick doesn't concern me," Bengal said. "If he did defeat Lord Fiske, it was just dumb luck."

_Or dumb skill._ Valkyrie watched as Kim caught the axes of Slice and Dice in midair and threw them to the floor of the ring with enough force to bury their blades completely. She then saw Kim execute a forward handspring that took her behind her opponents, where she smashed their skulls together, knocking them out cold. Slice and Dice collapsed in a heap on the arena floor, eliciting thunderous applause from the bloodthirsty audience. _This isn't fighting, this is a bloody massacre._

_--_

"I think that counts as strike three, Ron," Wade Load said from the Ronlink in Ron's station wagon. "He must be using cash for everything. The latest financial records I found on this Bengal guy are from 2002. I've got nothing."

"That's my line, Wade," Ron said in a defeated voice. "Did you get the Sloth back to my place in one piece?"

"Yeah."

Ron looked down at Kim's engagement ring. He had taken it from its hiding place in the Sloth before he left the scrap yard. _Too bad I can't use the Mystical Monkey Power on this to find Kim. Or use the bond we had when I shared the power with her to find her._ It wasn't for lack of trying, either. Ron had been concentrating the MMP on Kim's ring for the better part of a half hour. "And you can't, like, boost the signal to her chip?"

"Been trying that, Ron," Wade said. "Wherever she is there has to be some serious shielding."

Ron's car was parked by the abandoned water works in Lowerton; the exact spot where Wade lost the signal. Scans and sweeps hadn't revealed so much as an open air duct, let alone a door. Whatever this place was, if it was here, it was so well hidden that not even Wade's upgraded systems could find it.

--

Kim clutched her right side even tighter than she did before. _Okay, including the twins that's four more. What am I at now, ten? This is so not good. Eventually I'm going to reach the point that I can't even lift my hands, let alone throw a punch. They're wearing me down. I so don't want to know what they have planned when I'm too beat to move._

Bengal watched intently from beside the announcer's booth, totally unaware that Valkyrie had left his side. He was too engrossed in the fight below to care what she did. _Just a couple more fights and she'll be ready to face me._ He could see his victory looming ever closer. Valkyrie, on the other hand, knew that what he was doing would be considered dishonorable among most fighters. Even if Bengal realized this he didn't care. All that mattered to him was his glorious victory.

--

"Well, Wade, now what?" Ron had been driving circles around Lowerton for hours, but he kept coming back to the old waterworks. This was the last place where Wade got a signal from Kim; that had to mean something. He was again parked outside the abandoned structure, talking to Wade over the Ronlink.

"Hold on, Ron, I might have something."

"Booyah, Wade!" That was the best news Ron had heard all night.

"Thanks for the gesture, but I don't deserve it," the young genius said. "We just got a hit on the sight from someone who says she knows where Kim is."

"That's still booyah worthy," Ron countered. "Who contacted us?"

"I did," a female voice from behind them said.

Ron nearly jumped out of his shoes. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"You'd think the wielder of the Mystical Monkey Power would be less jumpy."

"Say again?" _How does she know about my monkey mojo?_

"Fighters around here call me 'Valkyrie,' but my real name is Valerie Bates," the blonde woman said. "I believe you met my uncle some years ago."

"Your uncle worked for monkey dude?" Ron didn't see the family resemblance between her and Bates. "Whatever happened to that guy anyway?"

"He got smart and resigned," Valkyrie said. "But that's not important now. Your lady friend is in the ring right now fighting for her life. I can get you in. Come on!"

Valkyrie led them to a door that was so well hidden, not even Wade's scanners could detect it. "Once we're in, you'll be on your own. This place has some pretty wicked signal jammers."

"If KP's in there, then that's where I'm going." Ron, without any fear, charged ahead into the unknown.

Ron and Valkyrie sprinted down a dimly lit hallway. "So why is Kim fighting in the first place? That so isn't her thing."

"Another fighter named Bengal kidnapped her," Valkyrie explained. "He wanted to defeat her in one on one combat. But he saw her using Monkey Kung Fu and he lost his nerve. Now he's having her run the gauntlet; fighting as many opponents as she can until she's too exhausted to fight back."

"Okay, that's low."

"And dishonorable." Valkyrie hit the call button for the elevator to take them to the fighting floor. "We may be underground fighters, and a lot of us may use enhancements, but we still fight one on one, hand to hand. Unless it's a tag team match or a weapon duel. But Bengal is too caught up with being the man to defeat Kim Possible. Even if he wins he'll lose all his credibility. But he might kill your fiancee in the process."

"Over my dead body." Ron was willing to sacrifice his life to save Kim's when they faced off against the recreated Erik back in January, and he was still willing to do it. He stepped in the elevator and hit the "down" button. He could feel the MMP coursing through him, ready to spring forth at a moment's notice.

--

Kim was facing a lanky man wielding a whip. He was the twelfth opponent she had faced, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out. He had been given minimal water, no food, no treatment for her wounds, and no rest. Breathing hurt worse now than it did before because of her bruised and battered ribs, and her vision was now obscured by the blood trickling from a long cut over her left eye.

Her thoughts were sluggish and hard to string together. _Has to be a concussion_, she thought ruefully._ I've got to end this before I collapse_. Instead of waiting for her attacker to strike, she attacked first. She drove her knee into the thin man's stomach and then slammed her fists into the back of his neck when he bent forward. Even as beat up as she was, she still managed to defeat a ruthless fighter in less than a minute.

"Kim Possible wins again. She is now twelve for twelve," the announcer declared. "And now for unlucky number thirteen. Kim Possible, the girl who can do anything, will face off against the undefeated Bengal! Place your bets!"

The crowd, now whipped into a feeding frenzy of shark-like proportions, erupted. Even the other fighters were worked up. _They won't care how I win at this point, _Bengal thought.

Bengal entered the ring and flexed his neck. "And now, Miss Possible, it is time for you to lose to me."

The light went off in Kim's punch drunk brain. "And if...I refuse?"

"I believe their names are Jim and Tim, aren't they?"

"This...was your plan all along," Kim panted. Her legs were trembling from the strain they were under. "There's no way...I can win. You...set this up...so you couldn't lose." Kim looked up at the crowd and summoned as much strength as she could. "Don't you see?!" she shouted. "This guy is such the coward! He had me fight all these other people so I'd be too worn out to fight him!"

The crowd continued their cheers and jeers. "It's no use, Miss Possible," Bengal said. "All they can see right now is the spectacle. They will remember this as the night I defeated you, and they won't care what lengths I had to go to. As long as they're entertained, they won't care."

"What about you?" Kim sneered. "You kinda came off as having some...sense of honor. I mean...no muscle rings or steroids. Why...do this?"

"Because the greatest honor is in victory, Kim Possible." Bengal cracked his knuckles and threw his robe off. "Now prepare to lose."

"KP!" Everyone looked towards the entryway the fighters used to reach the ring. There stood Ron Stoppable, his eyes glowing a violent blue and his dark mission clothes almost blending in with the darkness of the arena.

Kim finally allowed herself to collapse to the ground. She laughed long and hard at Bengal. "You are in so much trouble now. My man is gonna take you apart!"

Ron ran to Kim's side and helped her lay down, the crowd booing and jeering all the while. "Are you all right, KP?"

"I am now." She reached up and touched Ron's cheek. "I knew you'd find me. Now take this jerk down."

"Rufus, stay with Kim." The naked mole rat nodded and jumped out of Ron's pocket and took a guarding position at Kim's side. Ron, meanwhile, stood and sized up his opponent. _This dude's strong and fast,_ Ron thought, letting the Mystical Monkey Power read his opponent like a book. _And he's cocky. That means I can use one of my secret weapons on him; my obnoxious personality!_

"Yo, tiger dude! I think there's a guy in San Francisco who's already doing the human animal thing."

"You dare to mock me?" No one had mocked him and kept his teeth intact to tell the story.

"Well, duh," Ron retorted. "I mean, unless you're too slow to figure it out. Maybe all that ink messed with your brain."

"Who do you think you are?" Bengal assumed an attack stance, which prompted Ron to drop into a defensive one. Bengal recognized it immediately. "So you think you know Monkey King Fu?"

"Know it? I am da master! Time to get schooled."

Bengal charged at Ron, who didn't move. At the last minute Ron stepped out of the way, extended his foot and tripped Bengal, sending him face first to the ground. Enraged, Bengal scramled to his feet and charged at Ron, only to wind up with Ron's fist in his nose. Bengal staggered back, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he hit the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

"Booyah," Ron said in a subdued voice. That was quickly becoming one of his favorite moves; it worked on this jerk, and it worked on Rick O'Shea. Of course, in Rick's case, he didn't knock the guy out.

Kim looked up at Ron when he crouched down beside her again. She wore a weak grin, but her eyes were sparkling. "That's my Ron," she said in a weak voice.

"I gotta get you out of here, KP, but I'm afraid to move you."

Rufus made a few worried cooing noises in agreement.

"You won't have to," Valkyrie said, appearing out of nowhere. "The police and paramedics are on their way."

"You called them?" Ron asked. "Why? You'll be arrested, too."

"This went too far, Ron," she said in a somber tone. "This all started as a place for fighters to test their skills, but it turned into an ego factory for some." She looked over at Bengal's unconscious form. "Besides, they won't get me. I'll be long gone before the police get here. Unless you want to try and stop me?"

"We'll give you a three month head start," Kim said. "After that...all bets are off." Valkyrie only nodded and walked off.

--

"No permanent damage, Dr. Possible," Dr. Sylvia Metzger said to Anne Possible. "Kim has bruised ribs, a minor concussion, and the cut over her eye didn't even need stitches. She'll be sore for a while, but she'll be fine."

"Thank God for that," Anne said. Her husband was right beside her with a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Dr. Metzger looked at her watch. "I need to go tell Mr. Stoppable that visiting hours are over and that he needs to leave."

"That's not necesarry," James Possible said. "We don't have any problems with Ronald staying."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but rules are rules," Dr. Metzger said. "Spouses and family only. And since they're not married yet, he counts as neither."

"Let them be for a little while longer, Sylvia," Anne pleaded. "We'll make sure Ron leaves after Kimmie falls asleep."

--

Kim had one arm wrapped loosely around the Pandaroo that Ron brought to the hospital with him, and one hand grasping that of her fiancee. Ron had brought both her Pandaroo and her engagement ring, so she felt more comfortable than she would have been otherwise.

"You should get some rest, KP," Ron said.

"I know. I just don't want you to leave me is all."

They both knew that Ron wouldn't be allowed to stay overnight, so he made arrangements to crash at his 'rent's place. He had even called work and let them know what was going on; they were fine with him going in later tomorrow so he could spend time with Kim. "I'll be back in the morning, KP." He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips. "Besides, you know you can't get rid of me. You're gonna be stuck with me for at least another sixty or seventy years."

"And that's supposed to be a bad thing how?" The thought of living with Ron for the rest of her life was something Kim had gotten used to very quickly; the moment he slipped the ring on her finger, to be exact. "Promise me you'll be back here when I wake up?"

"Promise. I love you, KP."

"Love you, Ron." Kim finally gave in and nodded off. Ron gently removed his hand from hers, and left the room, where James Possible was waiting for him. "Heading home, Ronald?"

"Going to my parents' house, James," he replied. "Closer to Kim, you know?"

"Good man," James said. _Very good man_. "We'll see you in the morning."

Anne came up beside James, took his hand, and watched Ron walk away. "Everything all right?"

"It's fine honey," James replied, squeezing her hand. "I think the kids have had their last weekend inspection is all."

"Well it's about time." Anne let out a small chuckle. "I mean, what were you going to do when they decide to have kids?"

James sputtered. "Hon, they're not even married yet! It's too soon to be thinking about that!"

--

Kim was in the hospital for another few days, just to make sure there was no internal damage. After getting a relatively clean a bill of health, she was allowed to go home. Kim was practically stuck there. The Lipskys came by a few times so Kim could visit with her godson, but they didn't let Kim overdo it with the boy, and missions were strictly off limits until she was back in fighting form. That meant Ron was going solo. Most of the time the only company she had was Rufus. It got lonely real fast.

Ron was on one of those missions when Kim when to bed that particular night. Since Ron wasn't there, she fell asleep cuddling her Pandaroo, but at around midnight she woke up. She was sleeping on her left side since her right side was still tender, and she felt a warm body spooned up behind her; much too large to be Rufus. There was an arm draped over her, below the bruising on her right side, and a large hand was resting against her belly, gently holding her.

Kim smiled as she shifted just enough to put the Pandaroo back on her nightstand. She looked over to her side and saw Ron sleeping peacefully. Kim snuggled back into her fiancee's embrace, closed her eyes, and fell into a blissful sleep.

--

Bengal looked up to see a woman in a black business suit standing before him. "You don't look like a guard."

"My name is Rebecca Coyle," she said. "My benefactor has requested that I make you a job offer."

Bengal stood up and walked to the bars of his cell. "In case you hadn't noticed, lady, I'm not in much of a position to be worrying about my employment!"

"Calm yourself, Mr. Collins," she said, her stoic expression never changing. "We can take care of any...relocation needs you might have." She gave Bengal a hint of a grin. "We could use a man with your unique talents. Besides, we can offer you something better than money or your freedom."

"Like what?"

"A chance to get back at Ron Stoppable."

Bengal's face took on a predatory grin, making him look even more like his animal namesake. "I'm in."

--

"Well, Mr. O'Shea, it's all official," the real estate agent said to a man with long blond hair and a black business suit. "This warehouse, or what's left of it, is all yours."

"Thank you, Ms. Nguyen," Rick O'Shea said with a devious grin. "This is perfect." As Ms. Nguyen drove off, Rick surveyed his new holdings. It was the same electronics warehouse that Smite had taken up residence in at the beginning of the year. Global Justice had already taken all of the gear the android had stockpiled, but it didn't matter. Rick was going to build his own stronghold here; the fact that the place was still heavily damaged from the Lorwardian invasion was actually a plus. He could rebuild it as he saw fit.

Although his father's finances were being held while he was under investigation, Rick's own trust funds were not. Even though he wasn't twenty one yet, he had still found a way to access a small fortune. That money had bought him this warehouse; his new headquarters. Rick's musing was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing in his coat pocket; the device had a stylized letter 'R' on the fold. "Go," he said when he answered.

"We got him," the voice on the other end said.

"Excellent. Extract him at your earliest convenience." Rick smiled as he closed his phone. It was all falling nicely into place.

--

_Coming soon: Kim Possible in "The One That Got Away."_


End file.
